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Why docs were slow to embrace secure prescribing controls

February 21, 2017

When Oswego Health in New York implemented state-mandated secure electronic prescribing software for controlled substances, physicians initially did not like the fact that they were forced to use the technology, but it did not take them long to embrace it, says Barry Ryle, CIO.

Before the mandate, Oswego had a hybrid prescribing system, with electronic prescriptions being done for most patients and paper scripts for controlled substances. The intent of electronic prescribing for controlled substances was to enable the state to track patients on these medications and identify “doctor shoppers,” who are patients that get prescriptions from multiple physicians, according to Ryle.